, 1887-05-22
PERU'S EXPOSITION.
SCENES IN THE STREETS OF THE
CITY OF THE KINGS"

Houses OF the Peruvian Capital-Lima'n
Poorer cIHsses-Iron Barred Windows
Eyerywhere-TropIeal Plants of the EI-
posifion-ChIIians' DestructIveness..
PUlsing over one OF the Rimnc's tribu-
taries we enter and pass through the ont
skirts of Lima, and stop beneath the COW
cred station, where, alighting, / find N.Y.
self nmid some of the strange and inter
estiDg sights of the handsomest city in
all South America. The houses that
lined the streets Oh either side, fairly
tccmlng with Life, seemed innumeraEle,
and stood so closely that their roofs
touched. There is no space around the
LAneno's residence for the yard-though
nan have small, square courts within,
more or less unattractive-but we miss
the grass plots, lowerbeds and gravel
walks which enhance the appearance of
our American homes so much. Gardens,
however, appear here and there along the
strcets-invariably, II not public, the
property OF the upper classes-surrounded
by the ever present adobe wall, which
detracts much from their natural beauty
Yet mud Is n very important factor in
Limeno architecture; deprived of it, the
city would be but an unsightly mass of
ruins Over one-half of the houses are
built of adobe-sun dried brick-rlastered
within and without with mud, and rooted
mainly with red tiles. A couple of coats
of w~hltewash, in lieu OF paint, complete
the dwelling. The poorer classes, who
form the greater portion of the population,
live In houses Of bamboo, over which a
net work of cane is woven, plastered on
all sides with mud, and rooted with BAN
boo or straw. Lima possesses but two
stone buildings Hour mill and the peni-
tertiary. A few of the fne adobe resi-
dences of the aristocracy are, however,
frouted with marble and encircled with
wooden balconies; and those of the foreign
residents are, in q few instances, built of
kiln burnt brick-a few being composed
of timber. But Lima's archways, her
a~queducts, her palace, her cathedrals, her
business blocks and public buildings are
constructed almost entirely of mud
grimy, unsightly mud evervwhere-a city
of mud. The reason of this-a feature
common to all these countries-is the
great scarcity of timber and good stone,
the climate and the frequency of earth
quakes; for which latter reason, the
majority Of the dwellings are but one
storied. And it may be in place to re-
mark here that the lower windows of all
dwellings and buildings, both public and
private, in Lima are iron barred-I pre-
sumo because Of the numerous revolu-
lions that occur hero SO often, with their
hAt DiOOt1 6lAtCl
fights.
Another noticeable feature Is the ex-
treme cleanliness of the streets and alleys
there is no dirt or refuse to be seen any
where. The lima board of health, which
evidently understands its business, has
efficient aids in its labors, without which
1t would have a hard time in fighting
those diseases hat ever infest dirty
tropical cities; these Indispensable helpers
ora GnOwn In An,ar,oo nc GIb,,1,nrl. ~
and Mt all tours OF the day they can be
seen standing OF the housetops, their
glossy black feathers glistening In the
sun, or strutting in the streets and by
Ways, searching for refuse and filth.
They are very numerous and increase in
lumber each year, as there Is q strict
law against harming them.
Arriving at length at the entrance of
the exposition grounds, l alighted, and
paying a paper sole five cents, entered
through the high, iron barred gate.
Following one Of the many neat gravel
walks, ordered with flower beds,
foc o short distance beneath the heavy
foliage, I found myself suddenly In the
midst of u perfect wilderness of sweet
smelling flowers.
The dnte, the palm, the banana, the
orange, the cocoanut-in fact, nearly a.
the tropical plants-Here here in abun
dance. Birds Of gay plumage, hiddel
amid the thick foliage or circling In the
balmy air, were making the gardens ring
with their strange noises. Monkeys, with
the concentrated mischief of an American
school boy, were scampering about upon
all sides. BustS and statues stood In
prominent spots; II arbors and cozy
seats were scattered in cool and shady
places. Numerous fountains were flash
kg in the sunlight, and flowing from
item in every direction, keeping every
thing green, were small, clear streams
with messy and lowery banks, spanned
here and there by rustic bridges, where
one could watch the little fishes %disporting
themselves in the limpid waters beneath.
1t seemed n little Eden, 1t was so lovely
and fragrant, so cool and refreshing.
Leaving regretfully my shady retreat,
entered the chief building of the four
that in which the Lima exposition was
held In 1872, and the one which Is also
used when the annual fair of Peru takes
place. But the buildings have been
stripped of almost all their valuables-
mostly by the Chilians when in possess
sion Of Lima in 1S81-and little Of interest
now remains save a few paintings Of
South American scenery, which show evil
dence of great care and considerable tai
ent; soine pieces Of sculpture, and q great
quantity Of specimens taken from Peru
Wan mines-eyidence of the wonderful
mineral wealth that lies hidden in the
bowels of the Andes.
After exploring the other buildings and
finding nothing of interest, l passed ont
into the gardens and visited the wild
beasts that were Gagged in q long, low shed
in the southern part OF the grounds. But
here, us elsewhere, were evidences OF the
destructive, thieving propensities of the
Chilians. Before the capture Of Lima
these grounds contained specimens of
nearly every animal in the world; but,
after the valiant Chilians had transported
the greater part to Valparaiso-where 1
saw them some months ago-aud began
using the rest for targets, their numbers
dwindled rapidly to the sorry spectacle
they present to-day. These gardens,
lovely as they are, bear no comparison, 1t
is said, to the beauty and magniflcence
they possessed before the arrival of the
Chilians, who found il the ~loveliest spot
In all Peru, and left it a shadow of its
former self.-Callao PERU Cor. San
Francisco Argonaut.
Wear Your Hat Straight.